Pittsburgh Pirates Fall 3-2, Drop Series Opener in Washington

The Pittsburgh Pirates were looking to snap a seven-game skid on Monday night in Washington against the Nationals, but they were unable to muster up enough offensive production to do so

Monday night in the nation’s capital the Pittsburgh Pirates lost by a final score of 3-2. The loss came in a game that was pretty much controlled by the pitching staffs and was decided by a late home run.

With the loss, the Pittsburgh Pirates are now 23-42 on the season. This loss, which came against a Washington Nationals team that has also been struggling, drops the Pirates to 11-31 in their last 42 games played.

Scoring Breakdown

The Pirates jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the 2nd inning when Kevin Newman hit a line drive homer to left. Newman had two hits for the Buccos in the loss and looked like he may be ready to turn a new page this season.

The bat of Kyle Schwarber remained hot as he delivered a single to right in the 3rd that scored Victor Robles and tied the game. Juan Soto gave the Nats their first lead of the game later in that inning, as he grounded a base hit up the middle to score Trea Turner and make it 2-1.

After a lead off double from Jacob Stallings and a base knock from Newman with one out in the 7th the Pittsburgh Pirates were set up to either tie or take the lead. Erik Gonzalez had a good approach at the plate, and got the job done as he sent a fly ball out to the opposite field. Soto was able to make a good play on the ball, but his throw home was wide and Stallings tagged to score and make it 2-2.

The Nats would answer in their half of the inning courtesy of the long-time Pirate killer Schwarber yet again. He homered off of Clay Holmes and gave his squad a 3-2 lead. That score would hold final.

The Tough Stretch Continues…

The Pirates have now lost eight-straight games after a promising three-game winning streak against the Marlins. They lost the finale of the Marlins series, got swept by the Dodgers, swept by the Brewers, and lost the opener to the Nationals tonight. They have fallen to 19 games under .500 with a record of 23-42.

The team has fallen on hard times for sure, but that is what most people had expected. However, it will be intriguing to see how some of these players can improve throughout the rest of the season as they look toward the future.

What’s Next?

The Pirates will look to snap their season-high losing streak on Tuesday night against the Nationals in DC. The pitching matchup will feature Tyler Anderson (3-6, 4.52 ERA) for the Pirates and Patrick Corbin (3-5, 6.21 ERA) for the Nationals. First pitch is set for 7:05 PM ET on AT&T Sports Network.